Like Father, Like Daughter
by Wylde Wolf
Summary: Ari has arrived on Yavin IV and is going to start her training as Luke's apprentice. But things aren't easy for the daughter of the one called Starkiller. Sequel to Surprises in the Sand.
1. Prologue

Prolouge:

"Wake up." The stormtrooper said. He shoved his blaster rifle into the gut of the prisoner.

"I said wake up!"

The prisoner stirred, a groan escaping her mouth. She looked up at the stormtrooper's mask. A sight she'd seen for far too long. She struggled to straighten herself up. Not an easy task when your hands are chained above your head.

"I'll ask again. Where is the girl?"

"I'll give you the same answer as before, I don't know and I wouldn't tell you if I did know."

"You know what happens now. This can all be over. You just have to tell us what we want to know."

"Never." Was all the woman said before feeling the pain of electricity coursing through her body. She blacked out soon after.

_A/N: Well, I'm sure some of you have been waiting to see what happens to Ari now. Well, the wait is over. My interest for the Force Unleashed series has been re-sparked. I'm sorry this is so short. The rest of the story will be about the same length as Surprises in the Sand. _


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello, I'm back again with another update. This is just kinda a catching up chapter. Nothing exciting happens yet. I'm going to try something new with reviews this time._

_Jedi Alex Colbent: I was going to wait until around Mid-Late October to start this. But I was struck with inspiration and went ahead and posted._

_Panthermonspartner: Heh, I wasn't very discrete was I? Oh well. As for Ari meeting Galen, we'll see what happens._

Chapter 1:

It was the middle of the wet season on Yavin IV. For the past two months it rained everyday, all day and almost all night. Outside classes were practically non existent and everyone was stuck inside the Praxium. Storm warnings were a constant. There was storm after storm after storm. It gave the forests a feeling of peace and calm.

Arienna Marek was of it. The only day it hadn't rained was when she had arrived on Yavin IV. Sure, the first dew days she enjoyed it. She hadn't see or felt rain since she was two. But this was too much for her. She couldn't go outside and explore or else she'd be soaking wet after five minutes. PROXY had chosen to stay inside, for fear of his older systems shorting out from the rain. The only thing keeping her busy was dueling.

When she wasn't with Master Skywalker, she was in the dueling room with the other padawans. She didn't dare spar with other padawans though, not after the first incident. She was dueling a boy and accidentally zapped him with Force Lightning. He was only in shock for an hour, but she wasn't going to risk killing someone. So she sparred with PROXY instead. But having grown bored with only dueling, Ari was in a tree, outside in the rain, meditating.

Since she had arrived on Yavin IV, she felt lost. Han and Chewbacca dropped Luke and her off and left. Master Luke then introduced Ari to Tionne and Kam. He then showed her around the entire Praxium. During the first day, she explored around, meeting some of the other Jedi. It was exciting at first but something didn't feel right. Yes, she was among other Jedi, but she still didn't feel like she belonged. The only place she felt remotely accepted was outside in the high trees.

"Arg! I hate the rain!" She grumbled to herself.

She crossed her arms and focused on staying on the branch. She was thankful that she didn't have the heavier robes on. Instead she had a beige short sleeve tunic and dark brown pants. The cool rain felt good on her arms, but she was tired of being wet. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She felt her muscles start to loosen, when a fat raindrop plopped down on her head.

"That's it! I've had it with this planet and its stupid rain!" She yelled to no one in particular. Gritting her teeth, she started to hop down out of the tree.

"You need to control your anger, young one." A calm voice said as she landed on the ground.

Ari looked behind her and saw Master Skywalker walking towards her.

"I know Master." Ari sighed "But this rain is frustrating. I can't do anything without getting drenched to the bone. I'm sick of it."

"Why don't you meditate inside then? You wouldn't get wet then."

"I'm sick of staring at the walls. Besides it's not the same as being outside. There's always something going on out here."

Luke only shook his head and sighed.

"You truly are stubborn." He smiled. "I came looking for you because I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a mission with me."

Ari's mood instantly changed when she heard this. She was finally going on a mission with her master!

"Of course Master. Where are we going?" She asked eagerly.

"We're going to Coruscant and then Kashyyyk. I need to discuss things with the Senate and my sister. Then there are reports of an odd artifact on Kashyyyk. The Wookiees have asked us to investigate it." Luke noticed Ari was silent. She was staring into space, her mind light-years away. Luke knew what was going through her mind. "Are you going to be okay? You don't need to go to Kashyyyk if you don't want to."

"No, I want to go. I just didn't think about what it'll be like when I go there." Ari looked up at the grey sky. She hadn't expected to be able to go to Kashyyyk this soon. She wanted to go back, but was afraid to.

"Are you sure?" Luke asked.

"I'm sure. I'm just... afraid." She said quietly.

Ari didn't confide in many people. Since she left Tatooine, Master Luke was the only one she talked to, aside from PROXY, of course.

"It'll be fine. Besides, we may not be heading to that side of the planet." Luke put his hand on Ari's shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

"I know. I just can't help but think about what happened. But that won't get in the way of the mission. When do we leave?" Just like that, Ari's mood had gone from solemn to ecstatic.

"We leave tomorrow. Make sure you are set." Luke said.

"Is PROXY coming too?" Ari asked. Ari wasn't about to go anywhere without her droid companion.

Luke sensed her determination. Her bond with the holodroid was just as strong as his was with R2-D2.

"Of course, he can come too." Luke smiled.

"Thank you, Master. I'll go prepare now." Ari bowed and took off through the rain to the Praxium. She was excited to leave the planet and its horrible weather behind. She was anxious to return to Kashyyyk but she was nervous as well. She wanted to try and find anything that would be a reminder of her mother, but she was scared she wouldn't like what she found.

The memory of the day she left with Uncle Kota still haunted her in her sleep. Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she raced towards her room. The door opened and she ran right into PROXY, knocking him over.

"Master, is everything alright?" The droid said pushing himself off the ground.

After Ari and PROXY arrived on Yavin IV, she found parts and made some more fixes on PROXY. He wasn't completely fixed, but he wasn't going to randomly malfunction anytime soon. He was, however, very shiny and polished, looking like he was just put together,

"Sorry PROXY. I was coming to tell you something." Ari was trying to hold back her excitement. She helped pull PROXY to his feet.

"What is it?"

"We're going on a mission with Master Luke. We're going to Coruscant and Kashyyyk."

"Ah, your first official mission. I remember mine. It was to try and kill your father in his sleep."

"I'm just glad you never succeeded." Ari muttered under her breath. A thought crossed her mind. "What was the first mission my mother and father went on together?"

"Oh? It was the mission to kill General Kota. Your father required a new pilot to fly the _Rogue Shadow_ and Captain Eclipse was transferred over." PROXY said.

"Wait, my father was sent to kill Uncle Kota?" Ari was surprised. Nobody had ever told her this. She knew the reputation of the one called Starkiller, but she didn't know he had tried to kill Kota. PROXY, not noticing Ari's surprise, continued on.

"Oh, yes. Kota was attacking a TIE fighter factory over Nar Shadda. Vader sent your father to kill him as part of his training. After he killed Kota, he would be one step closer to his destiny. After the Empirical incident, he sought out Kota for help on forming the Rebellion."

"Uncle Kota never held it against him?"

"No, He said something about seeing the good in him. The one thing that kept him in the light, Captain Eclipse."

Ari sat in silence. She was scared and yet inspired by her Father. He had done many dark deeds in his short life, and yet he had managed to redeem himself, in her eyes, in the end. She had always wanted to ask her mother why she fell in love with her father, but she knew it would never happen. PROXY and Kota's journal could only answer so many questions.

"Master?" PROXY asked, finally noticing Ari's silence.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about my parents. I wish I could know them better. But like Jacobi said, you can't change the past. I should start getting ready to go." Ari busied herself, making sure she had everything on her utility belt. She aimed her focus on a shiny, new lightsaber. Her shiny, new lightsaber.

She spent her second day on Yavin with Master Luke, constructing her lightsaber from the parts Kota had left her. He had left her a few different colored crystals to choose from, but she only wanted one color, blue. As soon as it was finished, she challenged PROXY to a duel, which she won.

She also prepared her blaster pistol as well. Passing by the mirror, she stopped. She had only been gone from Tatooine for two months, but she already looked different. He tan hadn't faded too much, but she looked cleaner overall. There wasn't as much muck and grime covering her when she first met Han and Luke. She was already a bit leaner and stronger than before, having made good use of the training sessions everyday. But the biggest change of all was her eyes. Before, they were always dark and had a guarded look in them. Now they were softer, more open to others.

"I wonder if they would recognize me." She said to herself, referring to the _Rogue Riders_.

She missed her friends dearly. Every night before falling asleep, she looked through the holo-album Dak had given her before she left Tatooine. She had wanted to contact them, but with the weather on Yavin IV, it was impossible. She promised to contact them once there was a break in the weather.

She had noticed PROXY left, probably to talk to the other droids, or update his databanks. If he wasn't dueling PROXY or repairing himself, he was gathering information about the galaxy, probably to catch up on the 4 years he'd been gone.

She looked around her room, making sure everything was where it needed to be, granted there wasn't much. Her tool kit a few holo's and clothing. Kota's journal lay on the nightstand beside her bed along with the holo-album. She turned and walked out, searching for Master Luke.


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: I know I said this would be up later this week, but I was struck by inspiration and couldn't stop. _

_Jedi Alex Colbent: Yes, he does. I just haven't found a good point to add R2 yet._

Ari walked to Master Luke's room. She knocked on the door and waited. She reached out with the Force to sense where he was. She sensed him in a state of calm and peace.

'He's meditating.' Ari thought.

The door opened and Ari walked in and found Master Luke sitting cross-legged on the stone floor. His eyes were closed with his hands on his knees. Ari sat down across from him and mimicked his position. She relaxed and let the Force surround her. She saw images of Tatooine and bits of Kashyyyk flash by in her mind's eye. She saw Fang, Aurora and Dak's faces appeared and faded. Kota and Jacobi's faces also appeared. An image of a blonde haired woman appeared along with a dark haired man. A wave of safeness washed over her.

"You miss them."

Ari's eyes snapped open and the images disappeared.

"What?" Ari was caught off guard, which was very unusual.

"You miss them. Your friends and your parents."

"Another reason why this rain is a nuisance." She quietly said.

"It doesn't last forever. By the time our mission is over, the rainy season should be over." Luke smiled. "Don't forget, Coruscant is the hub on the galaxy. You could make contact from there."

Ari's mood instantly improved. The prospect of contacting her friends was exciting.

"Are you set to leave?" Luke asked

"Almost, I just want to tweak a few things on PROXY before we go. I came to ask you something." Ari looked at her Master's eyes.

Since she had arrived here two months ago, Ari felt bad for how she had treated him and Han in the desert on Tatooine. But he had never held it against her. He had spent as much time teaching her as he could. She didn't trust easily, but she already trusted Luke completely.

"I don't know if I can go to Kashyyyk. I'm... I'm afraid. I haven't seen home in 15 years. I don't know what to expect."

Luke gave Ari a reassuring smile.

"I remember what it was like to return to Tatooine after I left. I was scared to go back. I didn't know what to expect either. But once I was on the planet, it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Yes, it was hard to return to my home, but it provided a sense of peace for me."

Ari nodded.

"And you won't be alone. PROXY and I will be with you." Luke said.

He closed his eyes and returned to meditating. Ari relaxed and emptied her mind, allowing the Force to flow through her.

"PROXY, hold still. I can't fix this wire if you don't hold still." Ari said, exasperated. She had been working on fixing the holo-droid for a few hours now. The droid has started sparking and spazzing. His cognitive modem was cracked and needed replaced.

"I am holding still. I can't control what my programming tells me to do."

"So I've noticed." Ari replied. "I'm going to have to shut you down now. I need to replace this and I don't want you twitching every three seconds."

PROXY started to protest but was switched off before he could say anything. Ari sighed and got to work. The cognitive modem was the piece of hardware causing problems. For as advanced as PROXY was, his parts were outdated. She was lucky a friend of Master Luke's had found one for her. After removing the right wires, she pulled out the box. It was a rusty orange. She set it on the floor and rust fell to the ground. She grabbed the new one out of the box and installed it. She closed the access panel and turned the droid back on. His servi-motors whirred to life and his eyes light up to their bright yellow hue.

"Master, I do not appreciate being switched off like that. What if something was to happen and I wasn't there to help?" PROXY complained.

"It's fine. I can handle myself. If I could survive on Tatooine without you, I'd be fine here. Process it like this, there's no crazy swoop gang leader trying to kill me."

PROXY ignored her and checked his circuits. Ari just smiled and put her tools away. That was one thing she was glad she brought, her tool kit. When she would get bored in her free time, she would go find something that needed fixed. If nothing needed fixed, she would just take things apart and put them back together. Then she'd get a lecture from Artoo Deetoo, Luke's astronomech droid about not messing with certain things.

"Master, I feel fully functional again." PROXY announced.

"Good, run through your cycles. I want to make sure there are no glitches."

PROXY nodded as his motors whirred into action. He ran through all of his combat modules. Ari recognized a few, but most were unknown people to her.

"Everything is at top performance, Master. Anything else you wish to torture me with?"

"Not with that tone. Just go do what you normally do. I'm going to start gathering everything we'll need for this mission." Ari said playfully.

As PROXY left the room, Ari opened her pack. She found Kota's journal and started to search through it. Most of it was the teachings of the old order. Ari had since learned that some of the rules had changed, when Luke re-created the Jedi Order. She sighed in frustration and flopped on her bed, deciding some sleep could do her good.

"_Chaawdaak! Twrow it here!" a young girl yelled. _

_The young, brown, Wookiee cub responded in throwing the ball to Ari. _

"_[Chaardaak, it's time to go home.]" The cub's mother called from the hut._

"_[But mom, Arienna and I aren't done yet.]" Chaardaak growled in a whining tone._

"_[Now!]" Chaardaak's mother roared._

"_[Sorry, Arienna. Maybe we can play again tomorrow.]" _

"_It's ok. I'll see you waater." Ari said. _

_She walked up the trail to her house, over looking the harbor. She saw Kota pacing outside the house. _

"_Arienna! Where have you been?" Kota asked, trying not to sound too angry._

"_I was pwaying with Chaawdaak." She said quietly, lowering her head. "I didn't do anything bad, did I?" _

_Ari looked up at Kota. His expression softened as he could sense her emotions. _

"_You're not in trouble. Let's go find your mother though. We need to hurry."_

_Jota, still holding Arienna, rushed into the house. _

"_Juno, she's home!" Kota called._

_The former pilot rushed into the room. Kota lowered Arienna and Juno promptly picked her up, hugging her._

"_Mommy, what's wong?" _

"_Remember the bad men Uncle Kota and I have told you about? They're here now and we need to leave." Juno said as calmly as possible, trying not to scare her daughter._

"_Is PWOXY coming too?" _

"_Yes, PROXY is coming with us." Juno smiled. Her daughter's attachment to the droid reminded her of her father's relationship with PROXY._

_A bang followed by part of the house breaking apart shook Juno and Arienna. _

"_Captain Eclipse! We must leave now! The imperials are here!" PROXY came running in._

"_Kota! Get her on the ship!" Juno yelled. _

_Kota__grabbed__Arienna__and__led__her__to__the_Rogue Shadow _and__strapped__her__down__in__the__seat__normally__occupied__by__himself._

"_Stay here and don't move." Kota said solemnly. _

_Arienna nodded her head in response. _

_Kota left as PROXY entered with a few packs strapped to him. He dropped them and sat in the pilot's chair, starting up the ship. _

"_What about Mommy and Uncle Kota? We can't weave without tem!" Arienna cried out._

"_I am only starting the engines. We are not leaving yet." _

_Arienna relaxed, but only a bit. So much was happening; she just couldn't take it all in. Her breathing became rapid as she started to panic. She looked out the view port and saw the green blade of Kota's lightsaber deflecting shots from approaching stormtroopers. She could hear Kota yelling for her mother to get inside the shuttle. _

_An explosion rocked the shuttle. Arienna closed her eyes, trying to escape the terrifying sight outside. She hear footsteps run up the ramp. Opening her eyes, she saw Kota's dirt covered face._

"_PROXY get us out of here!" He said weakly._

"_Of course." _

"_What about Mommy? We can't leave her here!" Arienna asked_

"_Your mother won't be coming with us. She's with your father now." He said, turning away from the young girl._

_Even though she was only two, Arienna knew what the old Jedi meant. She felt a pang in her heat and her vision became blurry. Hot tears started streaming down her cheeks and she started to sniffle. Kota hugged her tight, trying to reassure the young girl. _

"_It'll be alright. I promise." He said._

Ari bolted up, sweat running down her forehead. She looked around, confused about her surroundings. Her senses came back as she realized it was only a dream.

"I haven't thought about that day in years." She said to herself. "It was just a dream."

She got up and grabbed her pack off of the chair, where it had been sitting since she arrived. In a side pocket, she pulled out a small silver disk. Clicking a button, an image of a very young Ari and her mother appeared. She smiled at the sight of the holo. That was taken only days before her mother was killed.

Ari wondered what her mother would think of her. Being a Swoop Gang leader wasn't something most mothers would be proud of. At least, not ones that she knew of. Or what she would think about of her decision to leave her friends behind on Tatooine. It still hurt to think about them, especially Fang. They were just like siblings. He was like a brother to her. Dak and Aurora were the same way.

"You can't keep thinking about the past. You'll see them again. You know that." Ari said, trying to snap herself out of her depressing mood.

This was becoming a more and more common mood for her. She couldn't be seen like this! She did have an image to keep up, after all. The daughter of Vader's former assassin couldn't be seen weak after all.

To get her out of this slump, she decided to go do a little training with PROXY. He was always up for a duel, most of the time.

_A/N: I know things seem to be progressing very slow right now, but I need to get some of the boring crap out of the way first. Then we can get to some fun stuff._


	4. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I know you don't want to hear the stupid excuse of work and school, so I'll spare you. He is the next chapter!**_

Chapter 3:

"Ah, excellent duel Master. You have greatly improved since leaving Tatooine." PROXY said, his Obi-Wan Kenobi module disappearing.

"I don't remember that module. Is it new?" Ari asked, extinguishing her lightsaber.

"No, this was one of the first ones implemented into my system. I tend to save it for special occasions."

"That was the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Ari turned and saw Tionne Solusar, one of the Jedi Masters.

"I noticed the light from under the door. I didn't realize that anyone would still be up at this time on night." Tionne said

"Huh?" Ari looked the chronometer. Realizing it was the middle of the night, she looked at the Jedi Historian sheepishly.

"I didn't realize it was this late. I'm sorry, Master Solusar." She bowed in respect.

"It's alright young one. It's not unusual for a troubled mind to seek a stress relief." She smiled. "I came to tell you that I will be traveling with you and Master Luke to Coruscant and Kashyyyk."

"Oh. Okay then. Glad to have you with us Master Tionne." Ari bowed.

Ari had taken a liking to Tionne almost immediately. The way she would teach others about history through music was something Ari had enjoyed. Tionne had even asked Ari and PROXY to share information they had on her parents.

Ari was opened her mouth to say something else when the swing of a red lightsaber blade made her lose her train of thought. PROXY had changed into the form of an Imperial Shadow Guard.

"What gives PROXY?" She asked, spinning out of harms way.

"You must be on your toes, Master. Your father always had to be ready for a fight, no matter where he was."

"I'll leave you two to train then. Good night Ari."

"Good night, Master Tionne." Ari bowed.

As Tionne left the room, PROXY took another swing at Ari.

"Damn it, PROXY! Can't you wait one blasted second to attack me? It's a wonder my father survived long with you trying to kill him." Ari said blocking the attack.

PROXY said nothing as he continued to attack Ari.

_Two standard hours later..._

"Ugh, I feel like if I fall asleep, I'm not going to ever wake up again." Ari sighed as she flopped on her bed.

"You will wake up again. I'll make sure you don't miss breakfast. I remember what happened last time I did that."

Ari smiled at the memory. She was on edge until the mid-day meal that day. She felt bad for the other Jedi who were on the receiving end of her fury.

"No, need for that, PROXY. I have an alarm set for that. I learned my lesson the first time. Well, good night PROXY."

"Good night Master."

Ari rolled over onto her side and promptly fell asleep.

"_Haha! Come on Runt! If you want it back, come and get it!" teased a young, raven haired boy. _

_He was holding a stuffed Krayt Dragon up in the air, away from a seven year old Ari. _

"_Give it back! That's mine, meanie!" She said, trying to jump up and get it back. _

"_No way! You have to get it from me!" _

"_Jakis, give it back!" Ari demanded, crossing her arms. _

"_Jakis, I suggest you give the girl her toy back." An older black haired boy said walking over to them._

"_But, Jacobi! She called me a meanie!" Jakis whinned_

"_I distinctly remember seeing you take her toy first. Now, give it to her and say you are sorry." The older boy said crossing his arms._

"_Fine. Sorry. Here's your stupid doll." Jakis muttered, lowering his head in shame and defeat._

"_Thanks." Ari said taking it quickly from his arms. _

_Jakis took off running as soon as Ari took the toy. _

"_I'm sorry he was causing you problems. I'm Jacobi." He said extending his arm out for a handshake._

_Ari backed away and stared at Jacobi in confusion._

"_What? Is there something on my face?" _

"_Why are you being nice to me? Or are going to make fun of me about my height too?"_

"_Huh? I would never do that. Besides, there are a lot of very strong short people out there." _

"_Really? Like who?" Ari asked, with curiosity in her eyes._

"_Well, I heard that there was a Jedi master who was about three feet tall. He was supposedly one of the most powerful Jedi out there." _

"_Wow! That's neat! I'm Ari by the way."_

"_It's nice to meet you Ari."_

The blaring of an alarm woke Ari from her dream. Sitting up, she saw that PROXY had left the room.

Jacobi. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't miss him. His death had been so sudden. The days after his funeral, felt like a dream to her. He had taken her in as a little sister. But towards the end, Ari felt a bit more that a sibling like bond towards him. He was a handsome young man, there was no questioning that. Girls would always be on him, trying to flirt with him.

"I should probably get moving." She said to herself.

There were those damn memories again. Now they were just making her mad. First the day she left Kashyyyk, and now the day she first met Jacobi. What would be next? The day Kota died.

She visibly shuddered at the thought of it. That was one of the darkest days of her life, no doubt about that.

She changed out of her brown tunic for a dark grey and black one. Clipping on her utility belt, she left her room and went in search of breakfast.

_On a planet in the Outer Rim..._

"Come on. All we need is one little piece of information and this can all be over." The Stormtrooper said menacingly.

"Don't you get it? I don't know where." The blonde haired woman said weakly.

Blood was trailing down from the corner of her mouth. Bruises covered her arms. Her breathing was ragged, almost like she had run a marathon.

Juno looked up at the mask of the Stormtrooper. The black, emotionless eyes had never bothered her before, but then again, they had been on the same side at the time. Now they were enemies fighting each other.

The stormtrooper was about to hit a button when the black, metal blast doors opened.

"No need to do that." Came a deep, booming voice. "We know where the girl was and where she went."

Juno's eyes lit up and the sound of the newcomer's words.

"_Arienna is alive! Is she safe? Does she know she's in danger? Does Kota know?"_

"Well, it looks like you got lucky today. Don't expect it to happen again though." With that, the stormtrooper and the man with the deep voice left the room, leaving Juno to sort through her thoughts.

_**A/N: I'm sorry it's so short. I promise the next few will be their normal length. **_

_**I don't know if you guys like the little flashbacks into Ari's life prior to Surprises in the Sand. If you do or don't, let me know. I'm afraid it seems like filler. But then again, I think that if's it's not directly helping progress the story, I consider it filler. **_

_**Czen: I'm glad you are enjoying it. **_


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Ari entered the kitchen. Breakfast was almost over and there were only a few Jedi hanging around, mainly apprentices. One of the boys, whom Ari had met her first day at the Praxium, walked over to her.

"It's, uh, Ari, right?" the brown haired boy asked.

"Yeah." Was Ari's response. She was busy sizing him up. About 5 foot 10 inches, maybe 160 pounds. About 17 or 18 years old. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name." She finally said, deeming him to not be a threat.

"It's ok. I'm Cade." He extended his arm for a handshake.

A rush of De-ja-vu flooded Ari's mind. She was reminded of her dream from that morning. Deciding to do what a seven year old Ari had done, she shook his hand.

"I'll be sure to remember it now." She said, flashing on of her rare smiles.

"I heard you were, uh, up last night training with your droid. Is he really that good of a droid?"

"PROXY? Yeah, if you're not careful, he could easily overwhelm you."

"Wow, is he a custom model or something? I'd never seen a droid quite like him." Cade asked grabbing a piece of fruit from a basket.

"You could say that." Ari said grabbing a bowl of a mushed brown substance.

"Hey Cade! We're going to go watch Master Kam and Master Corran duel. You coming?" A group of boys called from outside the kitchen.

"Yeah, just give me a second." Cade called back. "Hey, it was nice to talk to you Ari. I'll see ya later."

With that Cade was up and gone, leaving Ari alone in the kitchen. She sighed and looked at her bowl. It was cold and starting to harden. She sighed and ate it anyway.

"I wondered where you were." Luke said, bringing Ari out of her meditation.

"Just trying something different." Ari said, getting to her feet.

Luke smiled, shaking his head.

"Can't find PROXY?" He asked.

"No, if I wanted to find him, I could. I just don't want to." Ari stated, looking Luke in the eyes.

Luke just crossed his arms and smiled.

"Ok, so I don't know where he went. I'm bored and I have a lot of things to think about." Ari huffed.

"Well, I can tell you that he's with Artoo-Deetoo, preparing to leave. Are you ready to go?"

"Once I grab my pack, I'm set." Ari said, excited.

"Han and Chewbacca will be here to take us to Coruscant. They're dropping off some supplies and parts, then heading back. Just be ready when they get here." Luke said.

"I will be, Master." With a bow, Ari excused herself and left the meditation chamber.

She walked out and headed to the dueling arena. She could at least watch Kam and Corran duel to pass the time. She entered the room, only to find it was empty, save for a few people dueling. One of the Jedi still in there was Cade.

"Hey Ari!" He called once he spotted her.

"Hi Cade. Who won the duel?" Ari asked, a bit disappointed it was over.

"Kam did. But it was pretty close. Corran almost had him when Kam lost his balance for a second, but he didn't react fast enough." Cade recounted excitedly.

"Sounds like it was an exciting duel. I'm sorry I missed it."

"You can tomorrow. Corran wants a rematch."

"Oh, I won't be here tomorrow." Ari said

"What? Are you leaving? You can't be leaving, you just came here." Cade panicked.

"What? No, I'm leaving to go on a mission with Master Luke later. I'm not leaving the order if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, okay. Sorry, I was just worried about you leaving us." Cade laughed, a blush forming on his face.

"I didn't think anyone would care f I left." Ari said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"Oh, well, uh, it's just that, well, you're cool." Cade stuttered. "You were leader of a swoop gang, you're one of the few girls not worried about getting dirty and you can hold your own against a homicidal droid."

Ari was speechless. She had only known Cade for a few hours, yet if she left, he would notice. She had spent the past two months trying to blend in and keep out of the spot light, yet here was Cade, saying things about her that she didn't think anyone knew, save for Master Luke and both Kam and Tionne.

"My droid is not homicidal! I made sure to take out that programming." Ari said back, just realizing what he had said about PROXY.

"Whoa, I didn't realize he had been like that! I was just poking fun at him since you said he could overwhelm you." Cade said putting up his hands defensively.

"Oh." Ari said, realizing her mistake.

'_This being a Jedi stuff is harder than I thought.'_ Ari thought to herself. "Sorry, I kinda get defensive about him."

"It's ok. Hey, do you want to maybe have a duel? To pass the time until you leave, I mean."

"Um, I'd rather not. The last time I duel another apprentice, I kinda shocked him."

"Aw, come on. I trust you to not zap me. Unless, you're scared you'll lose." Cade said, trying to provoke the young girl.

"Ha, you wish I was scared. I'll take your challenge then. But don't say I didn't warn you, because I did." Ari smiled, grabbing her lightsaber.

Cade only smiled and grabbed his own lightsaber. Once they set the power level low enough to only sting each other, both Jedi backed away from each other and started to circle. They locked eyes and lunged at each other. Cade took a swipe at Ari's left leg, which was quickly deflected. He came at her again, this time trying to take her head off. Ari leapt away from his blade and with the Force, pushed him back towards the far wall.

"Is that all you've got?" Cade taunted.

Ari gritted her teeth and lunged after him. She feinted at his left thigh, but then switched to attack his exposed right shoulder. She knew she made contact when Cade grunted in pain. She flipped back away from him, in case he took a raging swing at her.

Now they circled each other trying to find a weakness in their fighting styles. He was relying heavily on Ataru with a hint of Soresu. His shoulder was also lagging a bit when he had been struck. Ari smiled. She knew his weakness, but had he found hers?

Abruptly, Cade sprinted towards Ari, lightsaber ready to strike. Ari spun on the heel of her foot to dodge, and snarled when the sting of his saber made contact with her leg. Now they had each scored a hit, the fight grew even more intense. Ari was struggling to keep her anger in check, not wanting to harm Cade. But if she wanted to win this, she would have to tap into some of that strength.

Distracted by her thoughts, Cade managed to get another hit on her, this time on her forearm. Enraged by this, she lashed out with a speed Cade had never seen before. Her attacks were rapid and strong, something he knew he was weak against. He knew she was mad when electricity started to dance along her arms. Between the blue glow of her lightsaber, and the blue-purple light of the electricity, Ari looked frightening.

"Ari!" Cade said, fear evident in his voice.

But she didn't hear him. Her attacks only became faster and stronger.

"ARI!" Cade cried out.

Something must have registered in her head. Suddenly the attack stopped. Ari deactivated her lightsaber and smirked at Cade.

"Now who's scared of who?" She said with a triumphant look on her face.

"Sithspawn, I didn't think you could be that strong. For a moment there, I really was afraid you were going to fry me there." Relief filled the older boy's voice.

"That was an excellent duel, young ones."

Startled, Cade and Ari looked over to where Luke, Tionne, and Han were standing.

"How long have you been standing there?" Ari asked

"Most of the battle. I'd hate to get on your bad side, kid." Han said.

Ari and Cade glanced at each other and smiled.

"Thanks for the duel. Now you know you can go against other people and not just your droid." Cade whispered.

"Thanks. We'll have to do that again sometime." She whispered back.

"Well, are you set to go?" Luke asked, walking towards Ari.

"Yes, Master. Is PROXY set?"

"Yes, he and Artoo are already on board with Chewie. You were the last one we were waiting on." Luke said

"Oh, sorry. Let me go get my pack and I'm ready." Ari said walking out of the room.

"Well, see you later Ari. Have fun." Cade said before Ari took off.

"Thanks Cade. Be ready to duel when I get back." She smiled.

"Ha, just make sure you're ready." Cade smiled back.

Ari then took off running towards her room. Upon entering, she grabbed her pack and looked around, incase she forgot anything. With a satisfied nod, she left her room and went to the hangar.

_**A/N: **I may try my hand a love interest for Ari. If you guys don't like Cade, then I already know how I can get rid of him. So tell me what you want. Also, I have a few chapters already done and ready to upload. I may try to upload one chapter a week._


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hi guys. I'm sorry for the long update. I know I said I'd post sooner (a lot sooner) but I had to graduate high school and have spent my summer at Basic Military Training. So, I now have time to work on the story. _

Chapter 5:

Upon arriving at the hangar, Ari saw Han walking up the boarding ramp with Tionne. Luke was standing at the bottom, talking to PROXY.

"Ah, Master. I see you are finally ready." PROXY said, walking over to her.

"I was wondering where you were. You disappeared this morning."

"I was assisting the astromech droid in a few repairs when the Falcon arrived."

"Oh, you couldn't have woken me up to tell me that?" Ari said crossing her arms.

"I didn't think you would want to be awakened. You did have a late night." PROXY justified.

"I heard about that. You really should have gotten some more sleep than that." Luke commented.

"I'll be fine. Besides I'm used to not sleeping, remember. Besides, if needed, I can sleep on the way to Coruscant."

"Oh, no you won't. I have some training planned for you. You'll be busy the whole trip." Luke smiled, a mischievous look in his blue eyes.

Ari raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What are we going to be able to do on there?"

"You'll see." Luke replied cryptically and walked up the boarding ramp.

PROXY followed behind him, with Ari staring at them in confusion. PROXY was obviously in on her Master's plan, which made her nervous.

"Come on kid! Let's get off this rock!" Han called from the cockpit.

Ari hurried up the ramp and walked into the main hold of the Falcon. Tionne was already seated, playing a game of Dejarik with Chewbacca. She had seen the game played before in cantinas. She had played it before with a few of the _Rogue Riders_ but the games were never taken seriously. Most everyone preferred Sabacc on Tatooine.

"I haven't seen anyone play that game in a while." Ari commented.

"It has been a few years since I played this. I forgot how enjoyable it is." Tionne commented, focusing on her next move.

Artoo made a few beeps and whistles as he rolled into the room for the cockpit.

"What did he say?" Ari asked.

"He said it that we are departing now." Luke answered, following the little droid. "I'm surprised you don't know droid speak."

"I wasn't around enough droids that spoke it. Besides, I had PROXY as a translator most of the time. I never needed to learn it."

"(It would be a good skill to learn. Just like Basic or Huteese or even Shyriiwook.)" Chewbacca commented, looking up from his game.

"If you wish Master, I could start speaking it to you more often. Once you learn the basics of it, is a fairly simple language to understand."

"You can discuss that later, now we start the training, young one." Luke interrupted. "First, let's meditate." He sat down on the floor in the center of the room and relaxed.

Ari groaned at the thought of meditating. It was boring and her mind tended to wander towards things she didn't want to think about. But she couldn't go against Luke's wishes, no matter how easily she though she could beat him in a duel. So she sat down across from him and opened herself to the Force.

"_Relax. You are too tense to think straight."_

"_But Master, I hate meditating. It's boring." _

"_There's that word again. You shouldn't be so..." _Luke trailed off in his mind

"_Strongly opinionate is the word you're looking for."_ Ari finished.

"_You are that, but you need to not rely on your anger so much. I sensed that you were close to losing control when you were dueling Cade." _

"_I had control! I knew what I was doing1" _Ari shot back, defensively. She was ready to just get up and walk away.

"_I know you did. I was just stating that you were very close to losing control." _

Ari was silent to his comment.

"_I know you don't feel like you fit in with us. I will admit this; I don't know of any other Jedi who regularly use dark side powers. But it can obviously be done. You've come a long way from where you were on Tatooine. I'm not asking you to change who you are. I'm just worried about you relying on your anger and hate to do tasks."_

Ari still didn't speak, but her mind relaxed. She knew Luke wasn't trying to change her, but it wouldn't be as simple as he thought to not use anger and hate. She had relied on those emotions for years.

"_I will try not to, Master._"

"_A wise Jedi once told me, 'Do or do not. There is no try._'"

"_They obviously had never met me._"

Luke let out a soft chuckle, but otherwise remained silent. Ari relaxed and continued her meditation.

"_Do you mind if I join in on your session?_"

Ari tensed up but relaxed once she recognized Tionne's mind."

"_I don't have a problem with it._" Luke answered.

"_I didn't want to interrupt any Master-padawan bonding time._"

Tionne's mind was calm, calmer than Luke's. Ari knew she was a very laid back person, but from her experiences on Tatooine, the calm one tend to have busy minds.

"_How are you so calm? It's like looking at a pool of still water. There's nothing worrying you._"

"_Years of practice. And discipline from my grandmother._" Tionne mentally laughed.

"_See, this isn't so boring now, is it?_"

"_Master, I mean no disrespect, but is this all we are going to be doing on the jump?_" Ari asked, avoiding the question.

"_No, but for now, this is where we start._"

Ari mentally sighed. She withdrew from the conversation and retreated into the back of her mind. Images and memories flashed before her eyes. Everything from her friends on Tatooine, to Kota and her mother on Kashyyyk, to the meeting with her father. However, one image she didn't recognize.

It looked like the shadowlands on Kashyyyk. But she had never been there. Below the roots of a Wroshyr tree was a strange grey monument. Beside it was a machine that looked almost like a computer.

As the image faded, Ari tried to figure out where she had seen it. But to no avail. She couldn't think of a time she had ever gone to the shadowlands. Kota and her mother always kept a close eye on her so she wouldn't wander close there. She decided to push it out of her mind for now. If the Force wanted her to focus on the image, she would have known.

_**A/N: **Finally, five chapters into the story and I'm just now mentioning part of the plot. Now we're getting somewhere. And Cade is going to stay. For now at least. _

_Ari: About damn time! I'm tired of putting up with these stupid flashbacks and memories. I can only handle so much meditating. Send in assassin droids or something, just to liven things up a bit._

_Me: Shhhh! Stupid, don't say anything that could give the plot away!_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Well, there it is. Just one giant city. Kinda depressing isn't it?" Han said, looking out the viewport.

The Millennium Falcon had just dropped out of hyperspace above the grey and orange tattooed planet of Coruscant. Ari had heard about the planet, but she thought of it being more, impressive. It was just one big city. But it did intimidate her. No vast forests like Kashyyyk or wide open deserts like on Tatooine.

Luke placed a firm hand on Ari's shoulder, as if he was sensing her thoughts.

"It's not so bad towards the top of the city." He said, confirming Ari's suspicions. "Besides, there are some gardens on the tops of buildings. Once you get inside some of the buildings, you almost forget about the city outside."

"Right." Ari said skeptically.

The Falcon flew into the atmosphere and headed towards a large, domed building. Once entering the hangar, Ari saw a brown haired woman with other people surrounding her. A golden plated droid stood with her. Han lowered the ramp and left the cockpit with Chewbacca following behind him. Luke and Tionne followed close behind.

"Master, I believe we need to leave." PROXY said to Ari.

"I know. I'm just trying to sense the best way to escape if I need to."

"I don't think they're here to attack you. If Luke trusts them, then you should tolerate them."

"I will, I'm just covering my bases. Escape routes and everything. It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"_Hurry up, young one."_ Luke sent to her.

"_Coming, Master."_ Ari responded. "Well, here it goes."

Ari took a breath to calm herself and exited the _Falcon_. She walked over to where the group of people was standing.

"This is my apprentice, Arienna Marek and her droid companion, PROXY." Luke gestured towards the pair.

Ari smiled and bowed. PROXY made no movement.

"Ari, this is my twin sister, Leia Organa Solo." Luke said.

"Ah, I knew I recognized your face." PROXY spoke.

"It's nice to see you as well, PROXY. You look in much better condition than when I last saw you." Leia said.

"You two knew each other?" Ari said, raising an eyebrow.

"Your father rescued me from Imperial custody on Kashyyyk. He later rescued my step father and the other rebellion leaders from the Emperor." Leia answered.

Ari knew about the latter part. Kota had come home one night a little tipsy and told a young Ari what had exactly happened. That was what solidified her father's goodness in her mind.

"He saved you on Kashyyyk?"

"Ah, I remember that mission. He was searching for Bail Organa. But he had to rescue his daughter first." PROXY added.

"I had him destroy the Skyhook before he left. To give the Wookiees a chance to escape." Leia replied.

Ari nodded her head. She recalled Kota saying something in one of his drunken states about the Wookiees being grateful and wanting to protect Ari. But she never knew why. Now it made sense.

"I'm glad he was able to help you." Ari replied.

"Now, can we get moving? I'd like to relax at home before our next jump." Han said coming to Leia's side.

"Arienna, C-3PO will take you and PROXY to your quarters. If you need me, I'll be in the conference room." Luke said.

"Yes Master." Ari turned to follow the golden protocol droid, wondering when she'd be allowed to know what was going on.

"Hello, I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations. I am fluent in over 6 million forms of communication. And who might you be?" C-3PO said.

"I'm Ari Marek, and this is PROXY."

"Greeting Master Ari and PROXY. I have been assigned to show you to your quarters. Follow me please."

Ari and PROXY followed the golden droid out of the hangar and to a waiting speeder. After hopping in, 3PO took the controls and flew them out into the city.

Ari was still in awe of the city. How so many people could live in such confined spaces with no big expanse of land made her feel a bit small. It was a big change from Tatooine and Yavin IV.

"Have you been to Coruscant before?" Ari asked PROXY.

"Yes. We came here so your father could go to the Jedi Temple. But it was in ruins then."

Ari looked around, trying to see the famed building. But they were flying in between the buildings, so she couldn't see anything.

"Don't worry Master, it is a hard building to miss. You'll see it soon." PROXY said

"I'm kinda hoping to go inside of it. I've read so much about it." Ari sighed.

She got a feeling that she was really going to hate Coruscant.

"This room is huge! And I'm the only one going to be using it?" Ari stared in awe at the size of her living quarters for their stay.

"You will only be sharing with PROXY. Master Luke's quarters are just down the hall as well as Master Tionne's. This button here summons a serving droid for whatever you may need. You have access to most rooms on this floor as well as the kitchen and the gardens. If you need anything, just summon a droid." 3P0 explained.

"Am I allowed out of the building?" Ari asked suddenly.

"Master Luke never specified. He only said you should keep your com link on you at all times, as well as your lightsaber."

"Awesome." A mischievous grin came to the girls face.

"I shall leave you now." And then the golden droid left.

Ari turned around and explored around her room. It was a large suite with a king size bed and its own fresher. There was a large window that overlooked part of the city. She could just barely make out one of the Jedi Temple's towers. A plan started formulating inside of her head. She technically didn't have to stay in the building.

"PROXY, if I went out exploring, do you think Master Luke would care?"

"He never gave specific instructions and you've never been one to listen to instructions. What is stopping you now?" The droid replied.

"Good point. You coming along?"

"I'll stay here."

"Okay then."

Opening the door, Ari stepped into the hallway and headed for the exit.


End file.
